


paw prints

by catspajama_llamas



Series: Aubergine [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Cats, Childhood, Childhood Memories, First Loves, Fluff, M/M, meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-21 10:36:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4825889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catspajama_llamas/pseuds/catspajama_llamas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shuu doesn't worry that he ran away from Matsumae. He is almost 7, and Papa says he has good scents. Besides, he's busy chasing after a mama kitty. He loves kitties.</p><p>He doesn't know that running after the mama cat will lead him to finding a new friend. </p><p>(In which there is a cat, and there is a boy, and it is only the very beginnings of fate.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	paw prints

"Shuu-sama! Come back!"

Shuu giggles in response to Matsumae's concerned demand, rushing around the corner to catch up to the little black cat that was begging for him to follow. 

Shuu loves cats. As much as his Papa allows him, the one thing he won't allow are pets. Shuu really wants a kitty.

The fluffy tail dashes just out of sight, Shuu scrambling to follow her. He'd like to have a girl kitty. Maybe she'd have babies, and then Shuu could have that many more kitties to play with. He doesn't really have anyone his own age to play with.

Shuu can't smell Matsumae anymore. They had gone out together to the city, which hardly ever happened. Shuu loves going out with Matsumae. It's so much better than being stuck in the manor all day doing lessons. She always sneaks him a little treat when they go out, which they don't tell Papa about. Little diced pieces of thigh that Matsumae cooks really special somehow. One day Shuu would like to learn how to cook. Sometimes he watches Matsumae cook, and she'll sit him up on the counter to watch after he begs to see what she's doing.

 He doesn't worry that he can't tell where Matsumae is anymore. He is almost 7, and Papa told him he has good scents. He's old enough to take care of himself, and he knows what ward he lives in. His Papa has many friends in the city who he can find if need be. He can find his way back. But now, there's a kitty at hand. A girl kitty, Shuu is sure.

Chasing down after her, Shuu notices that she has led him into a park. Could she have gone here to have her babies? He worries when he thinks he has lost her. He can't see her anymore, and there aren't any paw prints. He read about different tracks animals leave in a book once. There weren't any pictures in the book, not like he's seen other kids reading. The only time he sees other kids is when he's out with Matsumae, out in the city so she can teach him how to blend in with the humans. He's only seen human children so far. Maybe the kitty is hiding somewhere in the park to have her babies? Papa said Shuu has good scents, but he can't find her at the moment. 

"Kitty?" He calls out. Papa says Shuu is many things, shy certainly not being one of them. He always has good conversations with the adults at all the parties they have.

"Kitty.."

Shuu inspects the park, checking the bushes first. He remembers from the same book he read that cats like to hide a lot.

"A-.. aubergine.." 

That's what Papa called him once, right? To call him his dear? Shuu isn't too sure, but it sounds right, so that's how he calls the cat. He will treat the cat and her babies dearly.

"Aha!" Shuu exclaims. He finally sees a tuft of black sticking out deeper into the bushes, farther away from the middle of the park. It is rather empty and secret from the rest of the park, a perfect place for a mama cat. He hurriedly makes his way over, but he is careful. He doesn't want to scare her or her babies. 

He stops, a few feet away from the bush. That's when he sniffs the air to determine if she is there, and instead smells a human. It smells salty. He wonders if a salty human would taste good. He doesn't have salty food too often, Papa tells him it's unrefined. He hears sniffles too. Shuu thinks the human might be crying. It worries him. He doesn't like seeing anyone sad. He's also curious how tears taste.

Shuu thinks, maybe, maybe he should eat the human. It wouldn't be that hard. He's a ghoul. Papa says he's very strong, with a beautiful kagune. He's rather proud of it himself. But.. well, he's not that hungry right now. He did have breakfast before he left with Matsumae..

He still doesn't like that the human is crying, though. Sadness reminds him of the days his Papa sits in his chair, just staring out the window for a long time. The times he looks at Shuu in a funny way, his eyes shiny before he gives Shuu a pat on the head. Shuu doesn't like anyone to be sad.

The mama cat and her babies all but forgotten in his curiosity, he moves closer to the bushes to find the crying human.

Moving behind them, he finally sees the hiding human. It's a boy who must only be a year or two younger than Shuu is. He has short, fluffy black hair. It's no wonder Shuu thought he was the mama cat's tail at first glance. 

The boy is definitely crying, and his head is buried in his arms, knees pressed close to him. Shuu isn't the type to cry (Papa says it's not proper for a Tsukiyama, and he will take over Papa's place someday), but it reminds him of the time he stared in the mirror all day to see his own Mama. Papa says she's in heaven, but if he looks into the mirror, he can see his Mama. He looks into mirrors quite a lot. He even asked Matsumae to get him a special mirror for his room. It has blue roses carved and painted onto its sides. He likes it a lot. He wonders if Matsumae is still looking for him.

Shuu moves until he is only a few footsteps away from the crying boy. He doesn't think the boy's noticed him, so he figures he should say something. Papa says it's very important to always be polite.

"Hello? Are you alright?" He asks, very cautious, trying to be welcoming. It's time for business, as Papa always says.

The boy startles a little, which Shuu feels bad about. He slowly pulls his head away from his arms, looking up to Shuu from where the boy sits against a tree. His face is very messy. Matsumae would never approve of Shuu presenting himself that way. Shuu pulls out a handkerchief from his breast pocket and offers it to the younger boy, a smile on his face. Shuu is a Tsukiyama, and he must always be a gentleman. 

The boy looks up at him, worry on his face. He gently accepts the handkerchief from Shuu, who has decided to crouch down next to him. Shuu never sees kids around his age, and none are ever ghoul children. It's exciting, even though the boy is a human.

Luckily the boy is old enough to know how to use a handkerchief properly. Shuu feels very grown up next to him, his heart swelling with pride. He knows Papa and Matsumae would be proud of him, too. The boy must be 5. Shuu is going to be 7 soon. He's going to have a big party for his birthday. He hopes one of his presents is a cat. It is very cold outside, he realizes.

"My name is Tsukiyama Shuu. What's yours?" He inquires.

The boy finishes blowing his nose and wiping his face clean. He looks to Shuu kneeling in front of him with watery eyes. His eyes are very red where they should be white. It kind of reminds Shuu of kakugan. Hmm. Human kakugan. Shuu thinks that means a lot of blood is there. He likes eyes, but they're not his favorite meal to eat. He's not that hungry right now.

"I'm.. Kaneki.. Kaneki Ken," he sniffles out. Kaneki Ken.. that's a good name, Shuu thinks.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaneki-san. What's the matter?" Shuu asks again. He does feel concerned still.

Kaneki's eyes get watery again, face scrunching. He starts to cry again, little sobs. Shuu feels bad again, his eyes widening. He didn't mean to make Kaneki sad when Kaneki had just stopped crying! What should he do- maybe he should eat him? That might cheer him up! After all, Papa said that humans felt lucky to be eaten by Tsukiyamas-

"I'm lost," Kaneki pushes out, breaking Shuu from his dilemma, gripping the dirty handkerchief. He looks away from Shuu, tears dripping from his eyes again. 

Wait. Did Kaneki say he was lost? Shuu brightened up. Being lost was no problem for him! He had good scents! He could surely help Kaneki find his way home! 

.. But first, maybe he should ask him why he was lost. Someone might be looking for him, and Shuu didn't want to take Kaneki away from the person trying to find him. He knows Papa would be worried sick if Shuu were to get lost.

"Why are you lost, Kaneki-kun? Is there someone who is going to come and find you?"

Kaneki shifts again, looking toward his shoes. Kaneki looks like he must be very cold. It is very cold outside, and he might have been there for a while. Shuu wonders if not everyone has someone like Matsumae. Shuu scoots closer to Kaneki's side, shrugging his own coat off to put around the trembling boy. He must always be a gentleman, and humans are no exception.

Kaneki cheers up a little at Shuu's coat around him, wrapping it around his body and gripping tightly onto it as he had Shuu's dirty handkerchief. 

"I was trying to find my mom. She's at work, and I thought it would be easy to find her. Or maybe she's at my aunt's house. I don't know. But now I'm lost, and I just want to go home," Kaneki tells Shuu, finally looking at him again.  Kaneki's sniffles don't stop. Shuu is afraid Kaneki might have gotten sick, but he doesn't smell like it.

Hmm. This is troubling. 

"Do you know where you live, Kaneki-kun?" Shuu returns his gaze, looking at him steadily. He is determined. He will help Kaneki, no matter what it takes. It's part of being a gentleman. And, also, Shuu doesn't like seeing anyone sad. His Papa raised him well. He will take over for his Papa one day. He wants to protect Kaneki. He is a Tsukiyama. He's not very hungry, but he is a little cold without his coat. 

Kaneki complies, telling him he doesn't know exactly where, but he thinks he might know. He walks home from school on his own, so he should know when they get close.

Walking home from school? How strange. 

Shuu stands up, brushing his pants off. It'll be a challenge, but Shuu is grown up. He has good scents. He can help find Kaneki's way back home again!

"Alright, it's decided then, Kaneki-kun. I shall take you back home!" He gives Kaneki a grandiose gesture that he's seen Papa do before. He puts a hand over his heart and offers the other out to Kaneki. It's certainly like a gentleman. Kaneki looks shocked, his hands twitching on Shuu’s coat. He hesitates, but he looks at the big smile Shuu gives him.

Kaneki still looks worried. His watery eyes scrunch up again, but this time, it's because of the wide, toothy smile he returns to Shuu.

For the first time, Shuu feels a strange feeling in his stomach. He didn't eat anything that made him sick, did he?

Kaneki keeps the smile on his face as he takes Shuu's hand, pulling himself up. Kaneki squeezes his hand, beaming up at him again. He is shorter than Shuu. Shuu is almost 7.

"Thank you, Tsukiyama-san. This is really nice of you!"

Oh no. Shuu must be getting a fever. His face feels a little bit hot. He can't get sick right now. He has to be strong for Kaneki! Oh, maybe Matsumae would know what to do.. 

Oh, right. He ran away from Matsumae to chase after that mama cat. He needs to hurry taking Kaneki home so he can go find Matsumae again. But he's grown up, he can handle himself. Matsumae and Papa will be so proud of him when he comes home.

Shuu gives Kaneki a squeeze back, putting his worry about being sick aside and returning with another smile. 

"Of course, Kaneki-kun! It is my pleasure to help you! I am a Tsukiyama, after all."

Shuu looks ahead of them proudly, and they start walking away from the bushes, away from the park. Kaneki laughs. It makes Shuu happy. 

"You talk kinda weird, Tsukiyama-san," Kaneki says. They are still holding hands.

"No I don't! I'm a Tsukiyama!" 

Kaneki laughs again, and off they continue, making their way to where Kaneki lives.

Shuu really likes Kaneki, he thinks. He doesn't know any children his age. He wonders if the mama kitty had her babies yet. He wishes her well with her babies. He hopes they aren't too cold. 

He can't wait to tell Matsumae about today, the day he chased after a kitty and made a friend. He thinks she'll understand.

"So, Kaneki-kun, what do you think about cats? Do you like books? There's this one book I'm reading, and.."

~

Shuu actually does manage to bring Kaneki home, after a few hours of purposeful wandering. They spend most of the time getting to know each other, and find they both share a love for reading (or, in Kaneki's case, being read to- "I can read a lot of words, though!", Kaneki proudly declares).

Matsumae decides not to interfere, letting Shuu believe he had helped find Kaneki's way home all on his own. She had followed them from close behind the whole time. She allows herself to smile. Shuu-kun will make a fine young man one day, and she can't wait to meet the person he will become.

The day passes without any further great incident, and it becomes a fond memory forgotten in the hustle and bustle of childhood.

 

 

  


Kaneki vaguely remembers the day a little boy came to help him find something, and that's all there is.

For Shuu, he forgets entirely, his only memory being of a black cat he chased after.

**Author's Note:**

> I have only had a mind for fics involving cats lately, and this is part one of the result. I hope you liked it :3
> 
> This fic will be part of a 4-part series, unless I change my mind about how the series will run its course. There will be chronological jumps throughout the series, as well as some different perspectives in at least the second part. The third part will probably have multiple chapters, so this series will most likely get pretty lengthy! I can't promise how often I'll be updating, but I will try my best BECAUSE WE NEED ALL THE FLUFF IN THE WORLD WITH THIS CURRENT ARC OH MY GOD. So, you have my promises- this series will definitely have some angst in it, but there will also be lots of fluff uwu I'm excited!
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading!! :3
> 
> tumblr: @shuuchans-spooky-pajimmyjams


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